It has been years since Dana White‘s UFC faced a true competitor in the MMA industry. However, boxing promoter Eddie Hearn might be interested in changing that. Recently, he teased entering the sport to challenge White’s UFC directly.
White made headlines by questioned boxing promoters’ vision ahead of the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford event on Netflix. He promoted that event and then vowed to take over boxing with his new Zuffa Boxing promotion.
Hearn, an established boxing promoter with Matchroom Boxing, didn’t take kindly to White’s bold claim and responded.
Hearn revealed that he has had discussions with Turki Alalshikh about entering MMA. Alalshikh has a strong track record of booking highly anticipated boxing fights. That said, Hearn would also has the funding available to compete with White should he and Alalshikh team up.
“I’ve been talking to Turki about MMA. He loves the [expletive],” Hearn said during an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show. “If I’m in the MMA business right now, it’s a hell of a story. I feel like I could have a huge influence and a huge presence in MMA with the way that I promote.”
He added:
“I, too, love the [expletive]. And, that announcement would be fun, wouldn’t it? But listen, anything could happen.”
Eddie Hearn Says Dana White’s UFC Fighters Are Unaware of Potential Revenue
Hear also claimed that UFC fighters, especially headliners, are unaware of the revenue they could be earning. He believes the roster leave substantial earnings on the table due to the lack of transparency from White.
On The Ariel Helwani Show, Hearn argued that fighters should the event revenue and how it is distributed. He suggested a revised pay structure to show fighters much more fighters could earn.
“Can you imaging you said to a star in the UFC, ‘It’s your show and we’re gonna have open-book, and you’re going to take 80 percent of the profit of the show and we take 20 percent,’” Hearn said. “The UFC guys are fighting without any understanding of how much revenue is in the pot.”
Hearn highlighted the UFC’s media rights deal with Paramount as evidence of the revenue fighters might be missing.
“In that model where it’s a league or it’s a Contender Series, and the guys are getting 50 [thousand] if you win this fight, 100 [thousand], and then 200 [thousand], it’s peanuts,” he said. “How much are [the UFC] getting from Paramount? If it’s multi-million dollars per show [for the] rights fee, which it will be, profit is unbelievable.”
Eddie Hearn Reveals How He Would Notify White of His MMA Entry
Hearn also shared how he would notify announce his entry into MMA. He hinted that he would use a similar tactic to White’s approach when he entered boxing.
When White announced his boxing plans, he said he would take over the sport. During his appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Hearn explained that he would turn the tables on the UFC CEO.
Hearn said he envisions telling White his plans publicly and believes it could be positive for the sport.
“Can you imagine the press conference? I would tell Dana and say, ‘You’re gonna take over boxing? You’re coming for me and boxing? Well, guess what, I’m coming for you in MMA, baby,’” Hearn said.
He added:
“Some people take that personally, some people realize how good that actually is for the sport.”
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